Vienna boys' choir starts abuse probe

Eight new victims have contacted the Vienna Boys’ Choir after reports that members suffered sex abuse for years.

It said the men range in age from about 40 to over 70 and used a confidential hot line set up last Friday after a local newspaper reported that two former members, both now adults, said they were abused.

The choir is not church-affiliated. Many boys live in dormitories while singing away from their families. They also travel frequently.

The choir said it was taking the allegations seriously. In an open letter to parents, choir members and alumni dated March 12 it said that “this kind of abuse, even if it took place in the past, constitutes an injustice that we deeply regret and that must and want to face.”

The allegations coincide with a string of abuse claims against members of Austria’s Catholic church.

In last week’s “Der Standard” newspaper, a 33-year-old who now lives in Berlin, said he and others were pressured to wash their genitals in the shower while supervisors watched.

He also said an older choir member forced him to perform oral sex at one point while he was a member of the choir from 1985 to 1987.

Another member, described as a 51-year-old psychologist living in Munich who sang with the group between 1966 and 1970, said a choir master rested his hand on his thigh for an hour while on a bus tour.